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Private Jet Crashes in Maine With Eight People on Board as Storms Batter East Coast (VIDEO)

Snow-covered airport terminal with several jet bridges and parked aircraft under a gray sky, highlighting winter weather conditions at the airport.

Snow-covered airport terminal with several jet bridges and parked aircraft under a gray sky, highlighting winter weather conditions at the airport.
Bangor International Airport. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A private business jet carrying eight people crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening, federal aviation officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident, which occurred at around 7:45 p.m. ET. A source briefed on the crash told CNN that the extent of injuries among those on board remains unclear.

The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Challenger 650, a midsize business jet commonly used for private travel.

Bangor International Airport said in a statement that emergency crews were dispatched immediately after the crash.

The airport was subsequently shut down to all traffic.

The FAA said both it and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the accident.

The crash occurred as a major winter storm moved through the Northeast.

Conditions in Maine at the time included below-freezing temperatures, light snowfall and severely reduced visibility.

Federal records show the aircraft is registered to a limited liability company based in Houston.

Air traffic control audio recorded shortly before the crash captures controllers and pilots discussing poor visibility and de-icing procedures.

It is not immediately clear which aircraft those conversations referred to.

At one point, a controller can be heard clearing the jet for takeoff on Runway 33.

Nearly two minutes later, urgency enters the radio traffic as a controller announces: “All traffic is stopped on the field! All traffic is stopped on the field!”

Moments after that, another controller reports: “Aircraft upside down. We have a passenger aircraft upside down.”

Following the crash, the airport was formally closed, allowing emergency vehicles full access to the runway and surrounding areas.

Later radio transmissions indicate controllers believed there were “three crew and possibly five passengers” aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash.

Officials have not yet released details on the cause of the accident or the condition of those involved.

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